DSP, Omo-Agege Heads 56-member 1999 Constitution Review Panel

The Senate on Thursday constituted a 56-member Constitution Review Committee to handle all bills seeking alterations to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The committee, announced by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, consists of eight principal officers, who would serve as the steering committee within the larger committee.

Lawan also appointed a senator from each of the 36 states of the Federation and two senators from each of the six geopolitical zones.

The 56-member committee, to be chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, are the Senate Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya; Deputy Senate Leader, Prof. Robert Boroffice; Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe; Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha; Minority Whip, Philip Aduda; and Deputy Minority Whip, Sahabi Yau’.

Senators Theodore Orji (PDP Abia Central), Aishatu Ahmed (APC Adamawa Central), Stella Oduah (PDP Anambra North), Albert Akpan (PDP Akwa Ibom North-East) and Dauda Jika (APC Bauchi Central) also made the list.

It also has senators Degi Eremienyo (APC Bayelsa East), Gabriel Suswam (PDP Benue North-East), Abubakar Kyari (APC Borno-North), Gershom Bassey (PDP Cross River South), James Manager (PDP Delta South), Sam Egwu (PDP Ebonyi North), Mathew Urhoghide (PDP Edo South) and Bamidele Opeyemi (APC Ekiti Central) on the list.

Also on the list are a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP Enugu West), Danjuma Goje (APC Gombe Central), Rochas Okorocha (APC Imo-West), Muhammad Sabo (APC Jigawa South-West), Uba Sani (APC Kaduna Central), Kabiri Gaya (APC Kano-South) and Ahmed Baba Kaita (APC Katsina-North).

It includes senators Adamu Aleiro (APC Kebbi Central), Smart Adeyemi (APC Kogi West), Sadiq Umar (APC Kwara North), Oluremi Tinubu (APC Lagos Central), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), Sani Musa (APC Niger East), Ibikunle Amosun (APC Ogun Central), Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP Ondo-South), Bashiru Ajibola (APC Osun Central) and Teslim Folarin (APC Oyo Central).

Others are senators Dimka Ayuba (APC Plateau Central), George Sekibo (PDP Rivers East), Aliyu Wammako (APC Sokoto-North), Abubakar Yusuf (APC Taraba Central), Ibrahim Gaidam (APC Yobe-East) and Mohammed Gusau (PDP Zamfara Central).

Those representing the zones on the committee are Senators Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC Kebbi South) and Ibrahim Shekarau (APC Kano-Central ) for the North-West geopolitical zone.

For the North-East geopolitical zone are senators Kashim Shettima (APC Borno-Central) and Lawal Gumau (APC Bauchi South).

Senators Lilian Ekwunife (PDP Anambra-Central) and Chukwuka Utazi (PDP Enugu-North) represent the South- East geopolitical zone on the committee; while senators Eyinkenyi Etim (PDP Akwa Ibom South) and Rose Oko (PDP Cross River North) are for the SouthSouth zone on the committee, Abdulfatahi Buhari (APC Oyo-North) and Biodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti-South) are for South-West geopolitical zone.

Senators Umar Tanko Almakura (APC Nasarawa North) and Yakubu Oseni (APC Kogi Central) represent the North Central geopolitical zone.

Meanwhile, Senator Ifeanyi Uba (YPP Anambra South) has kicked against his exclusion from the committee, alleging that the membership was drawn only from the APC and the PDP, describing it as unfair.

But the Senate President in his response said the composition of the committees was not based on party membership but on states and zonal basis.

He said, “This composition is not about party affiliation but of equal representation from states and geopolitical zones, since the assignment before the committee is for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians devoid of partisanship,” he said.

Lawan urged the members to be patriotic in their conducts and activities.

He called on all Nigerians to submit their memoranda to the committee.